Championship Hit List: Who Stays, Who Goes in ’09?
Mike Sloan Jan 13, 2009
Now that the final grains of 2008 sand have fallen to the bottom of
the hourglass, a new dawn of mixed martial arts action awaits.
While this year remains in its embryonic stages, one must ponder
exactly which of the major champions will hold onto his gold in
2009.
Like last year, Sherdog.com once again braves the unknown and tries to figure out what will happen to select titleholders from various weight classes.
1. Brock
Lesnar, UFC heavyweight champion
A massive and athletic beast of a man, Lesnar has transformed himself from former NCAA wrestling champion to scoffed-at former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar to the legitimate heavyweight champion of the world’s most powerful mixed martial arts organization. Lesnar became a virtual laughingstock when he was quickly submitted at the hands and arms of Frank Mir at UFC 81, but he bounced back with a dominant victory over grizzled veteran Heath Herring six months later. He followed that performance with a technical knockout against Randy Couture at UFC 91, as he captured the world-recognized championship of the big boys.
2. Rashad Evans, UFC light heavyweight champion
Picked by yours truly more than four years ago to eventually become the UFC’s 205-pound titlist, Evans made good on that prediction by stopping reigning champion Forrest Griffin in the UFC 92 main event on Dec. 27. As a professional, Evans has yet to lose a fight, and with each passing test, he looks more and more like a future all-time great. Formerly just a wrestler, Evans has morphed into a lethal striker with equally damaging ground-and-pound.
Will Evans lose his light heavyweight crown in 2009? The answer is an emphatic no. Though the UFC’s 205-pound roster may be as deep as UFC President Dana White is vulgar, Evans is the real deal. He’s more athletic than most, and he has only begun to reach his potential. The only man who could give him fits is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, but his mental state has been as topsy-turvy as America’s economy. I have serious reservations about his future as a perennial title contender.
3. Anderson Silva, UFC middleweight champion
The best striker MMA has ever seen, Silva has made opponents look like amateurs since he invaded the Octagon in 2006. Only Patrick Cote lasted into the third round against the Brazilian, but Silva looked less serious and focused at UFC 90; Cote gave him few problems. The best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Silva has looked unbeatable since he signed with Zuffa LLC.
However, “The Spider” will not be the middleweight king inside the UFC much longer. He’ll either lose focus and get toppled by a fighter he was supposed to blow away, or he’ll get so bored that he has no choice but to try his luck against the elite level light heavyweights. I favor the latter, and please, let’s ignore his retirement talk. He’ll defend his 185-pound crown once more and then vacate it to try and wrest the title from Evans by the end of the year.
Who will still be
on top in 2010?
4. Georges
St. Pierre, UFC welterweight champion
Many fight fans have a man crush on “Rush,” and for good reason. He’s a superb fighter who’s easily among the top two or three best pound-for-pound mixed martial artists on the planet. And he would not be surrendering his 170-pound title anytime soon if it weren’t for the fact that he’s defending said belt against B.J. Penn in a few weeks.
It’s obvious where I’m going with this; Penn will exact revenge against St. Pierre on Jan. 31 and steal away the title he never truly lost inside the Octagon. It will be a candidate for “Fight of the Year,” and as long as Penn shows up mentally focused, St. Pierre will find himself on the short end of the stick.
5. B.J. Penn, UFC lightweight champion
Though he’s moving up to welterweight to challenge St. Pierre for his title, Penn will still be the UFC’s lightweight kingpin a year from now. He’ll be the first person under contract to Zuffa to successfully defend world titles in two separate weight classes simultaneously. His head finally seems to be screwed on properly, and newfound focus will allow “The Prodigy” to live up to the lofty expectations many set for him years ago.
Penn’s clearly one of the most gifted fighters in the short history of the sport, and now that he seems intent on leaving a legacy, it’s scary to think what he might accomplish.
6. Mike Thomas Brown, WEC featherweight champion
He came out of nowhere last year and upended former champion Urijah Faber via first-round stoppage at WEC 36. It may have been one of the year’s biggest upsets, but it was no fluke.
However, as good as Brown has become, he’ll eventually run into Faber again. Faber may not steamroll Brown like many first predicted, but “The California Kid” will do enough to snatch back his title. Rubber match, anyone?
Last year’s picks to hold on to their gold:
• Quinton Jackson, UFC light heavyweight champion: wrong (he lost to Forrest Griffin)
• Robbie Lawler, EliteXC middleweight champion: right (he had a no-contest with Scott Smith and then stopped Smith before EliteXC folded)
• Urijah Faber, WEC featherweight champion: wrong (he lost to Mike Thomas Brown)
• Shinya Aoki, Shooto middleweight champion: right (he didn’t compete in Shooto in 2008)
• Akitoshi Tamura, Shooto lightweight champion: wrong (he lost to Hideki Kadowaki)
Last year’s picks to lose their gold:
• Anderson Silva, UFC middleweight champion: wrong (he defended twice)
• Matt Serra, UFC welterweight champion: right (he lost to Georges St. Pierre)
• Roy Nelson, IFL heavyweight champion: wrong (he defended twice before the IFL folded)
• Carlos Condit, WEC welterweight champion: wrong (he defended twice)
• Akitoshi Hokazono, Shooto featherweight champion: wrong (he retired and Masakatsu Ueda won the vacant title)
Like last year, Sherdog.com once again braves the unknown and tries to figure out what will happen to select titleholders from various weight classes.
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A massive and athletic beast of a man, Lesnar has transformed himself from former NCAA wrestling champion to scoffed-at former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar to the legitimate heavyweight champion of the world’s most powerful mixed martial arts organization. Lesnar became a virtual laughingstock when he was quickly submitted at the hands and arms of Frank Mir at UFC 81, but he bounced back with a dominant victory over grizzled veteran Heath Herring six months later. He followed that performance with a technical knockout against Randy Couture at UFC 91, as he captured the world-recognized championship of the big boys.
Will Lesnar be the UFC’s heavyweight champion by this time in 2010?
No. While he’s massive, strong and lightning-quick for his size,
the fact remains that he’s still a greenhorn in MMA. Had he not
grabbed onto the fence when Couture tried taking him down, the
outcome of the fight at UFC 91 may have been different. There are
still too many holes in his arsenal at this time to make one
believe he’ll retain his title for 12 straight months. Besides, Mir
already submitted him. Why should anybody believe that’s not going
to happen when they meet again?
2. Rashad Evans, UFC light heavyweight champion
Picked by yours truly more than four years ago to eventually become the UFC’s 205-pound titlist, Evans made good on that prediction by stopping reigning champion Forrest Griffin in the UFC 92 main event on Dec. 27. As a professional, Evans has yet to lose a fight, and with each passing test, he looks more and more like a future all-time great. Formerly just a wrestler, Evans has morphed into a lethal striker with equally damaging ground-and-pound.
Will Evans lose his light heavyweight crown in 2009? The answer is an emphatic no. Though the UFC’s 205-pound roster may be as deep as UFC President Dana White is vulgar, Evans is the real deal. He’s more athletic than most, and he has only begun to reach his potential. The only man who could give him fits is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, but his mental state has been as topsy-turvy as America’s economy. I have serious reservations about his future as a perennial title contender.
3. Anderson Silva, UFC middleweight champion
The best striker MMA has ever seen, Silva has made opponents look like amateurs since he invaded the Octagon in 2006. Only Patrick Cote lasted into the third round against the Brazilian, but Silva looked less serious and focused at UFC 90; Cote gave him few problems. The best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Silva has looked unbeatable since he signed with Zuffa LLC.
However, “The Spider” will not be the middleweight king inside the UFC much longer. He’ll either lose focus and get toppled by a fighter he was supposed to blow away, or he’ll get so bored that he has no choice but to try his luck against the elite level light heavyweights. I favor the latter, and please, let’s ignore his retirement talk. He’ll defend his 185-pound crown once more and then vacate it to try and wrest the title from Evans by the end of the year.
Photo by
Sherdog.com
on top in 2010?
Many fight fans have a man crush on “Rush,” and for good reason. He’s a superb fighter who’s easily among the top two or three best pound-for-pound mixed martial artists on the planet. And he would not be surrendering his 170-pound title anytime soon if it weren’t for the fact that he’s defending said belt against B.J. Penn in a few weeks.
It’s obvious where I’m going with this; Penn will exact revenge against St. Pierre on Jan. 31 and steal away the title he never truly lost inside the Octagon. It will be a candidate for “Fight of the Year,” and as long as Penn shows up mentally focused, St. Pierre will find himself on the short end of the stick.
5. B.J. Penn, UFC lightweight champion
Though he’s moving up to welterweight to challenge St. Pierre for his title, Penn will still be the UFC’s lightweight kingpin a year from now. He’ll be the first person under contract to Zuffa to successfully defend world titles in two separate weight classes simultaneously. His head finally seems to be screwed on properly, and newfound focus will allow “The Prodigy” to live up to the lofty expectations many set for him years ago.
Penn’s clearly one of the most gifted fighters in the short history of the sport, and now that he seems intent on leaving a legacy, it’s scary to think what he might accomplish.
6. Mike Thomas Brown, WEC featherweight champion
He came out of nowhere last year and upended former champion Urijah Faber via first-round stoppage at WEC 36. It may have been one of the year’s biggest upsets, but it was no fluke.
However, as good as Brown has become, he’ll eventually run into Faber again. Faber may not steamroll Brown like many first predicted, but “The California Kid” will do enough to snatch back his title. Rubber match, anyone?
Last year’s picks to hold on to their gold:
• Quinton Jackson, UFC light heavyweight champion: wrong (he lost to Forrest Griffin)
• Robbie Lawler, EliteXC middleweight champion: right (he had a no-contest with Scott Smith and then stopped Smith before EliteXC folded)
• Urijah Faber, WEC featherweight champion: wrong (he lost to Mike Thomas Brown)
• Shinya Aoki, Shooto middleweight champion: right (he didn’t compete in Shooto in 2008)
• Akitoshi Tamura, Shooto lightweight champion: wrong (he lost to Hideki Kadowaki)
Last year’s picks to lose their gold:
• Anderson Silva, UFC middleweight champion: wrong (he defended twice)
• Matt Serra, UFC welterweight champion: right (he lost to Georges St. Pierre)
• Roy Nelson, IFL heavyweight champion: wrong (he defended twice before the IFL folded)
• Carlos Condit, WEC welterweight champion: wrong (he defended twice)
• Akitoshi Hokazono, Shooto featherweight champion: wrong (he retired and Masakatsu Ueda won the vacant title)
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